Great potential is how three consultants from the Iowa Economic Development Authority described Indianola’s downtown business district Thursday while unveiling their assessment of the town square.

“You’ve got some great bones downtown,” said Robin Bostrom of the authority's Downtown Resource Center. “You have great building stock.”

“But you need to make your downtown a destination,” Terry Poe Buschkamp said.

That includes making the area "much less about the cars and much more about the people and their shopping experience,” consultant Dennis Reynolds said. “Take advantage of your potential here.”

One of the top priorities should be converting the one-way streets around the square into two-way streets, redesigning crosswalks, and updating the streetscape to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.

“This should be first,” Reynolds said of the potential changes. “People want beauty and shade with trees and green grass and bushes.”

Reynolds suggested changing the on-street parking around the square to allow better pedestrian use of the downtown.

“Visitors to your community can’t figure out how to get around the square in a car or on foot,” Bostrom said.

Signage for businesses is out of date or totally lacking, Bostrom said, and getting a sign permit to make an upgrade costs $450.

"That’s high compared to other cities," he said. "Change your business and building codes to make it easier for your small businesses. It’s tough to be a small business owner.”

Poe Buschkamp pushed the need for community collaboration, communication and developing partnerships across the board.

“Your square is the heart of your community,” Poe Buschkamp said. “You need to have community events located here all year long. They could include farmers' markets, yoga in the park, pop-up markets, food trucks, art festivals, live music."

“But it all comes down to collaboration and partnerships,” she added. “You need to be working much harder on this throughout the community.”

Bostrom, Poe Buschkamp and Reynolds researched the community’s business market data and met with residents and business owners last week to learn more about what stakeholders want from the square.

Bostrom's analysis showed that retail businesses are doing well in Indianola.

Indianola residents generate about $120.8 million in retail demand each year. However, Indianola businesses top $165.6 million in sales annually, indicating the city is still a destination shopping spot for rural residents and those from nearby communities.

However, she said the numbers show the city is lacking an adequate number of restaurants to keep up with demand.

Indianola residents generate about $12.2 million in demand for food and drink business each year, but only $9.5 million in trade actually occurs.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority will deliver a written report in the next few weeks to the city, chamber of commerce and Warren County Economic Development Corporation. The three groups split the $2,500 cost for the study.

The surveys said

Three consultants from Iowa Economic Development Authority's Downtown Resource Center met with residents and business owners to get their thoughts on the Indianola town square and how it might be improved. These were the top three responses in three categories.